Scuola Italiana del Greenwich Village

Palazzo Grimani A Roman Renaissance palace for the Serenissima. What was going on in Venice?... A pompous façade overlooking the Grand Canal and an almost hidden entrance.

Sicilia araba Il Fortino di Mazzallakkar It's a ruined Arab fort in Sambuca di Sicilia. It is located near Lago Arancio (Agrigento), and is partially submerged by its waters for six months of every year. It was built around 830 AD, possibly to defend the territory which was then known as Zabut.... Ouch! The fort was still in good condition until the mid-20th century, and it was used as a shelter for sheep and cattle. In the 1950s, the Carboj dam was built, causing the flooding of Lago Arancio. Being partially submerged around 6 months of the year caused a lot of damage to the fort. ...but, you can still visit it!

Paese che vai... Italy has 4,908 museums and archaeological areas; practically everywhere. Wherever your next trip will take you, you will find at least one. The next time you stay in Roma, among the thousand things to discover that will never end, go pay a visit to the Casa di Giacomo Balla.... In 1915 the painter Giacomo Balla had the idea of rebuilding the universe. He wanted it more colorful, more unexpected and totally futuristic. But before starting to disassemble the universe from top to bottom, he thought it would be more practical and quicker to start at his home in via Oslavia 39-b in Rome; after all, that was his closest and most frequented universe to him.

Where does the "Tarantella" come from? Once upon a time, a long time ago ... but perhaps not too long ago ... Tarantula (la taranta) documentary from 1962 made in Puglia by Gianfranco Mingozzi with music recorded by Diego Carpitella and narration by the poet Salvatore Quasimodo.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmbXOdI1yhE

Hey! Do you speak italian? New online classes will start soon! http://www.scuolaitaliana.org/schedule.php... (Photo by Henri Cartier Bresson, Roma - 1959)

- Parla italiano??? - Does she speak Italian??? ...may we suggest that you learn Italian?... https://www.scuolaitaliana.org/schedule.php (Ingrid Bergman, Stromboli - 1949)

Great Italian Inventions The first ice cream cones were created in Italy. Caterina de' Medici with her servants and her Italian cooks introduced her recipes to France during the Renaissance. But, later on, on 1903, Italo Marchioni, an Italian living in New York City, received the US patent for the invention of the ice cream cone that he had been selling in America since 1896. ... Well well well, practically this clever guy patented Caterina de Medici's invention as if it were his!

Yes, it is an Italian invention! Did you know that? While it's impossible to identify a single inventor of blue jeans, it is certain that this particular fabric was produced in Genova at least since the fifteenth century. It was the Genovese sailors who spread the pants to England and the rest of the world: the English word blue jeans derives from the French "Bleu de Genes" or "blue of Genova".

Next time you will be at Palazzo Barberini in Rome, don't stand there staring at her; talk to her, ... in Italian! Our new online classes are starting soon! https://www.scuolaitaliana.org/schedule.php...... (Raffaello Sanzio, "La Fornarina" 1518-20)

While waiting for the next dive in Italy, shell we freshen up some Italian? New classes will start soon! https://www.scuolaitaliana.org/schedule.php... Katharine Hepburn - "Summertime" 1955 Canal Grande, Venezia.

Someone turns 75 today and looks very handsome! Ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about the iconic Vespa! Thanks to the great Corradino D'Ascanio (1891-1981), aeronautical engineer from Abruzzo who designed the Vespa and much more; even the first helicopter!

Curiosità "Le buchette del vino a Firenze" No one had paid much attention to them until now. ... Miniature windows, called "buchette del vino", are carved into the walls of over 150 buildings in Florence. Built in the early 17th century, were originally used by merchants to sell goods and mostly wine at a save distance during the bubonic plague in 16291631 when it ravaged northern and central Italy and killed about a third of the population. Some of these little wine windows are open again and used for their original purpose. Wine window are now once again serving wine and cocktails in these days of Covid-19. See more

Let us tempt you to speak Italian! New zoom classes will start next week! http://www.scuolaitaliana.org/schedule.php... Detail from The Spanish Chapel, Cappellone degli Spagnoli, fresco (detail) by Andrea di Bonaiuto, 1365-68 - Firenze

Don't struggle! Speak in Italian! January zoom classes will start soon! http://www.scuolaitaliana.org/schedule.php... (Antonio del Pollaiolo - Hercules slaying Antaeus, c. 1460)

When in Rome ... if they look at you like that, speak in Italian! January classes will start soon! http://www.scuolaitaliana.org/schedule.php... ("Roman Osteria" by Wilhelm Marstrand, 1847)

An interesting discovery on the terracotta tiles of Brunelleschi's Dome. Hundreds of footprints of dogs, cats and even ancient rapacious birds appeared on Brunelleschi's Dome in Florence. A zoo that for almost six centuries has remained immortalized in the beauty of the work, the largest in masonry in the world. Footprints revealed during the restoration works recently started. "They are footprints that the animals left on the terracotta tiles left to dry in the sun before f...iring - explains the architect Samuele Caciagli, head of the technical area of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore - from the kilns of Impruneta (municipality of the hinterland Fiorentino) where Filippo Brunelleschi had chosen the material to cover his dome. An interesting discovery on the terracotta tiles of Brunelleschi's dome. Centinaia di impronte di cani, gatti e anche di antichi rapaci apparse sul Cupolone di Brunelleschi a Firenze. Uno zoo che da secoli è rimasto immortalato nella bellezza dell'opera, la più grande in muratura al mondo. Orme svelate dalla storia seicentenaria del monumento e riscoperte da poco tempo durante i lavori avviati dall’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, l’istituzione che preserva i monumenti di piazza del Duomo a Firenze. Sono impronte che gli animali imprimevano sulle tegole di cotto lasciate ad essiccare al sole prima della cottura spiega l’architetto Samuele Caciagli, responsabile dell’area tecnica dell’Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore dalle fornaci di Impruneta (comune dell’hinterland fiorentino) dove Filippo Brunelleschi aveva scelto il materiale per rivestire la sua cupola. From Corriere Fiorentino